The Writing Brush: A Treasure of Chinese Calligraphy Carrying Millennia of Cultural Heritage
Among the world's various writing tools, the writing brush is a unique cultural symbol of China. Together with paper, ink, and inkstone, it forms the "Four Treasures of the Study" that have been passed down for thousands of years, serving as an indispensable carrier of traditional Chinese culture.
The writing brush has a long and profound historical context. There has always been a folk legend that "Meng Tian invented the brush" — Meng Tian was a famous general during the reign of Qin Shi Huang (r. 221-206 BC), and it is said that he improved and popularized the craftsmanship of making writing brushes. However, archaeological discoveries have pushed the origin of the writing brush much further back in time: the vivid decorative patterns on painted pottery from primitive societies were verified to have been drawn with tools similar to writing brushes, and clear brush strokes can still be seen on the surface of the pottery. This finding implies that the writing brush may have been invented even earlier than the formation of Chinese characters, with a history dating back at least 6,000 years.
In terms of structure, a writing brush consists of two parts: the brush head and the shaft. The selection of materials for each part embodies the ingenuity of ancient craftsmen. The brush head is mostly made of animal hair, commonly including goat hair, weasel hair, rat hair, and rabbit hair. These materials are characterized by softness and elasticity, which is completely different from the hard writing feel of bamboo pens, pencils, quills, or ballpoint pens. The materials for the shaft are more diverse, ranging from common ones such as bamboo, wood, lacquer, and porcelain to precious materials like mother-of-pearl inlays, ivory, and jade. Shafts made of different materials not only affect the hand feel during use but also endow the writing brush with unique artistic value.
In the culture of Chinese writing brushes, there are four types of famous brushes that are most widely known. With their unique craftsmanship and quality, they have been favored by scholars and calligraphers throughout the dynasties.
1. Hu Brush: A "Fine Writing Tool" from Huzhou, Zhejiang
Hu Brushes, produced in Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, are mainly divided into four categories based on the material of the brush head: Goat-hair brushes are known for their softness and flexibility, allowing for rich ink nuances when writing; Purple-hair brushes are made of purple-black rabbit hair, resulting in delicate strokes; Weasel-hair brushes are made of weasel hair, with a relatively hard texture, suitable for outlining fine lines; Mixed-hair brushes are made by combining goat hair and weasel hair, combining the characteristics of softness and stiffness, making them highly practical.
The production of Hu Brushes can be described as "meticulous work yielding fine products." The entire process, from selecting hair and processing materials to finally making the finished product, involves more than 120 procedures. Each step requires careful handling by craftsmen, with no room for carelessness. It is precisely because of this that Hu Brushes allow users to write or paint with ease, whether for calligraphy creation or traditional Chinese painting. In addition, great attention is paid to the selection of materials for the shaft of Hu Brushes. Common materials include red sandalwood, mottled bamboo with natural patterns, and fine white porcelain. Some high-quality products even use ivory for production, making Hu Brushes not only writing tools but also exquisite handicrafts with both practical and collection value.
2. Xuan Brush: A Renowned Scholar's Tool Named After Ancient Xuanzhou
The Xuan Brush, together with the well-known Xuan Paper, is a specialty of Jingxian County, Anhui Province. Its name has a deep connection with ancient place names — in ancient times, Jingxian County was under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou Prefecture, hence the name "Xuan Brush".
As early as the Jin Dynasty (256-420 AD), the Xuan Brush had already won the favor of scholars and literati, becoming their first choice for calligraphy and painting. After years of development, during the Tang (618-907 AD) and Song (960-1279 AD) dynasties, Xuanzhou gradually became a nationally famous core production area for writing brushes. The exquisitely crafted Xuan Brush was even selected as a tribute specially presented to the royal family.
During that period, folk craftsmen kept exploring and innovating in Xuan Brush making, and achieved key breakthroughs especially in two processes: raw material selection and brush shaft polishing. The improved Xuan Brush featured a sharp and straight brush head, neatly arranged bristles, and a full, smooth brush tip. Whether it was the lifting, pressing, turning and folding in calligraphy, or the outlining and rendering in painting, users could handle it with ease and write/paint freely. Among them, the Xuan Brush made from purple-black rabbit hair through fine craftsmanship was regarded as the top-quality product of Xuan Brushes and had a high value even at that time.
3. Daiyuexuan Brush: A Brush-Making Legend from Liulichang, Beijing
The origin of the Daiyuexuan Brush is closely linked to a seasoned craftsman named Dai Yuexuan, who originally created this brand with his own hands. Today, the Daiyuexuan Brush enjoys a high reputation in the field of scholar's tools in Beijing and even across the country, thanks to its superior quality and exquisite craftsmanship. In the production process, craftsmen take the semi-finished writing brushes produced in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province as the basic raw material, and then rely on their superb brush-making skills to finally create brushes with four major characteristics: "sharp, neat, round and firm" — the brush tip is sharp and flexible, the bristles are neatly trimmed, the brush body is round and full, and the brush shaft is properly stiff. It is precisely because of these four outstanding characteristics that the Daiyuexuan Brush has always been recognized and highly praised by calligraphers and painters.
Looking back at history, more than 80 years ago, Dai Yuexuan himself used to make a living in a brush workshop located at the east entrance of Liulichang Cultural Street in Beijing. Even when using the same raw materials as Huzhou brushes, the brushes he made were far superior to the similar products made in Huzhou at that time in terms of hand feel, durability and writing effect. Relying on this extraordinary brush-making skill, the name "Daiyuexuan" gradually expanded from the workshop to a broader market, and finally became a well-known brush-making brand.
4. Houdian Brush: A Millennia-Old Brush-Making Craft from a Shandong Village
The history of brush-making in Houdian Village, Shandong Province, can be traced back to the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (around 1404 AD). By the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), this craft entered a period of prosperity. In the early years of the Republic of China, nearly 80 to 90 percent of the brushes sold in well-known stationery shops in Beijing—such as the renowned "Daiyuexuan" and "Hukaiwen"—were crafted by artisans from Houdian Village. To prevent this traditional craft from being lost and to inject new vitality into it, in 1952, the villagers of Houdian jointly built a large-scale brush-making workshop. They not only devoted themselves to cultivating young inheritors but also continuously explored innovations and developments in the craft.
Houdian Brushes are quite particular about the selection of raw materials, mainly using animal tail hair—including weasel hair, civet cat hair, and ox ear hair—with a total of more than 40 types of raw materials. Among all these materials, the hair collected in winter becomes the first choice for making high-end brushes due to its tough texture and better elasticity. During the production process, craftsmen strictly follow five key procedures: first, they clean and dye the hair; then, they carefully carve characters on the brush shafts; next, they assemble the brush heads with the shafts; after that, they package the finished products meticulously; and throughout the process, various auxiliary procedures are also required. Each of these five procedures consists of more than a dozen detailed sub-processes. Only through such complex procedures can brushes with unique shapes and diverse specifications be created, suitable for different scenarios such as calligraphy and painting.
Houdian Brushes excel in practical performance. They not only have a long service life but also achieve a perfect balance of softness and stiffness. Their ink-storage capacity is stronger than that of ordinary brushes, and they rarely shed hair during writing—thus winning great favor among users.
It can be said that the writing brush is the soul carrier of Chinese painting and calligraphy art. Without it, Chinese painting and calligraphy would hardly have formed the unique artistic style they have today, let alone gained such high recognition and popularity worldwide. It has left an indelible mark in the process of inheriting and spreading Chinese culture. Today, with the continuous progress of social economy and culture, the craftsmanship of Houdian Brushes continues to improve through the passing down from generation to generation, and their types are becoming increasingly diverse, constantly adapting to the cultural needs of the new era.
